eachdraidh | video / seelie & unseelie

[hello, magic locket network. have a blond teen with a curious little scar at the corner of his mouth, currently seated in front of his locket with as much ease as if it were a computer. probably more than if it were a computer, to be quite honest -- he's never used a computer in his life, but he's pretty damn used to more supernatural methods of communication. at least this is way simpler than talking through rainbows.]

Hey, I'm Jason. I've told a few people about this whole exploration trip my own group was working on, so I figured I might as well give an update on how that's going.

[and behind him, over his shoulder, is luke, with his back to jason as he holds his own locket up to take in the height of the trees they linger beneath. in the background one can hear:] This is what you'd call a tree, La Rue —

[for the observant viewer, the area they're currently taking a breather in certainly isn't caer glaem or the immediately surrounding areas. it's a forest, sure, but even through the locket it's clearly unusual, the trees all awe-inspiringly enormous. their camp is little more than a few bags dropped off at the base of a gigantic trunk. three bags, to be specific, but gods know where the third member of their little party's gone off to.]

We've bounced around a lot but I think we've covered a pretty decent spread of this place so far. Compared everything to the maps we found and all that. I think so far it's safe to say that those are all pretty accurate. Those worms have been all over too, so I don't think that's a concentrated incident...

[luke's disappeared from the background, but his voice is loud as he stands in front of jason. (not that anyone can see him, but they can hear him loud and clear).] And Grace is choosing to talk to his locket than take in the scenery. C'mon, Grace. Wave for La Rue. You Ares kids always miss out on the whackiest stuff.

[jason, for his part, makes a valiant effort to keep a straight face and be the serious, responsible one here. he can't hep but crack a hint of a smile though, and he raises a hand slightly to indulge luke. and not that anyone can see, but luke wanders off to crane his neck so high to look at the canopy that it almost snaps.]

All that aside, it'd be good to hear how things are going back at the castle too, and maybe in the Unseelie place if any of you guys are feeling particularly talkative.

((ooc: blue is jason, orange is luke, replies are likely to be hijacked by luke (and nico) if they feel like it.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jason would be surprised over how many feelings Nico has on Winnie the Pooh because of this. At any rate, he chooses to interpret it as shock over the age of the series.]

Yeah, it's old. I was surprised that it was still popular.

Uh, yeah. [that's totally it.] Was your book in Italian or English?

English. Milne was an English author, and she'd gotten the original copy of the books. I think she was a fan of his works even before Winnie the Pooh came out.

Wow, how old were you then? I can barely handle reading English, let alone a second language.

[other than latin, of course, but that's sort of a given.]

[Nico considers the question, and figures it might be safe enough to answer. Though, not elaborately.]

Young enough to be in primary school. She spoke both languages around us, but Italian schools teach English as well as Italian starting at the primary level. I don't remember if she taught us Greek. She might have, since she knew who our dad was.

...How much do you remember her?

[it's a risky move, knowing nico's as likely to shut down completely as actually answer, but he's a risk-taker. at least his expression is all genuine curiosity, with only a hint of unhappiness that actually isn't for nico, for once.

he doesn't remember his own mother at all.]

[Nico almost glares at Jason, but he detects the unhappiness and it gives him pause. He decides to be truthful and not evade the question. It won't stop the bitterness creep into his tone of voice, though.]

Nothing. I saw what she looked like once. My father told me what she what her job had been when she was alive. Other than that? I only have guesses from what little I do remember. And before you ask, no, I never once spoke to her ghost. I couldn't.

I wasn't going to.

[he could ask why nico couldn't, but he's tactful enough to know when to stop. there's a moment of considerate quiet, and then just just smiles slightly and bumps the younger boy's shoulder with his own -- not really "touching", he's still being careful of that rule, but just the briefest moment of contact to knock him out of that bitter resentment.]

It's alright. I don't remember mine either.

[There's a glare, but he's not going to say anything about it. Which means it's okay. For now.

However, Jason's statement does surprise Nico.]

You don't?

[He assumed you were normal, Jason, and now you're telling him that you're not? This is world shattering.]

[you must have an odd definition of "normal", bro.]

Thalia said she left me for Lupa when I was two, and that she died in a drunk driving accident a few years back. Any time I spent with her, I was too little to remember.

[Nico is quiet for a while. He doesn't expect it. Jason just never seems like the kind of guy with a mom who would do that. Then again...it's true that Nico hasn't really wanted to get to know the guy. He still doesn't. It always leads to pain once he gets to know someone. The Fates keep making the people he's befriended die. So what's the point of suffering and feeling like he's condemning them to an early death? At the same time...it's something he has in common with Jason. No mom and no memories of her. At least they have their sisters.

He refuses to get closer than this, though. Maybe it'll be impossible with the three of them in a group and traveling together, but he's going to try his hardest.]

A mercy, maybe. You might not have any good memories of her, but at least you don't have any bad ones, too. Thalia's the only one with the burden of those memories, but she's strong and she has a very annoying brother to help her if she stumbles.

[he nods rather automatically. it'd hurt at the time -- and even still, a little -- learning that the mom he'd he'd wondered about was an unstable alcoholic that'd abandoned him and driven thalia away. maybe he's better off not having known her. not like he could really complain about the life he's had, after all, with a camp full of people who respected and admired him, always treated like the hero they expected him to be.

still, it doesn't quite soothe the ache of not knowing for sure, personally.]

Yeah, of course. [he forces a grin anyway, because nico's at least partially right, and he has to appreciate the fact that the younger demigod is trying to be supportive.]

[He sees it's forced, but he doesn't comment.]

We need to get going soon, by the way. It might be pointless to keep moving with those worms burrowing through the ground, but....

[Nico trails off. Jason knows. And the sharing moment is totally ending by Nico's hand.]

Right. Better to keep on the move.

[you're still in charge, and he'll acknowledge that with a more enthusiastic nod and a turn to go start gathering supplies back together.]

video / seelie & unseelie

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